Port of Dumaguete. CDN Digital photo | Florence Baesa
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental–A tug boat and two barges that came from Taizhou, China were not allowed to dock at port here on Tuesday night, February 4, 2020.
Petty Officer 3 Charelyn Abuyabor, duty officer of the Coast Guard Station, Negros Oriental, said the owners of the three vessels are Industry Movers Corporation (IMC).
The three are the tugboat “MTUG IMC 18,” a deck cargo barge named “BARGE IMC 19,” and another deck cargo barge named “BARGE IMC 20.” All three are made in China.
A reliable source told CDN Digital that there were 11 Filipino crew members in the ships that were expected to dock at around 7 p.m. at the Dumaguete port.
However, according to the source, the management of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Dumaguete City barred the three vessels to dock and instead were told to anchor at sea while their papers are being checked following a proper protocol amid the novel coronavirus scare.
The three vessels had no cargo and were brought to the country to be refurbished.
Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Coronavirus, said in a press statement that the crew from the three ships, which sailed from Taizhou, China, will not be allowed to disembark at the city’s pier.
The mayor said the vessels will only be allowed to anchor from a certain distance while waiting to proceed to their next destinations.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are expected to board the ships to check the health condition of the crew. /bmjo